


Benefits of Flames over Sparks

by BlackEyedGirl



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: M/M, Sparring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-04
Updated: 2011-02-04
Packaged: 2017-10-15 17:38:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/163218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackEyedGirl/pseuds/BlackEyedGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for Porn Battle, for prompts sword and lightning-bending. Set somewhere post 3.13.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Benefits of Flames over Sparks

Zuko is sitting by the un-lit campfire, rubbing his fingers together and frowning. “Come on,” he mutters. “Come _on_.”

There’s a tiny spark. It sort of reminds Sokka of what happens when they tumble off Appa in a hurry, and all of his fur stands on end. Zuko looks startled, and he sucks the end of his finger into his mouth with an “ow.”

Sokka drops down beside him. “Whatcha doing?”

“Sokka. You’re here. And not with the others.”

“Nah, I figured I’d let the benders go and do their bending-thing. Not that you’re not a bender. But they’re off… bending. And you’re here. So what’re you up to? Making fire? Cause I would have thought the ability you have to _actually make fire_ would be more useful than trying to turn yourself into a human tinderbox.”

“I’m trying to make lightning.”

Sokka frowns. “I don’t know what the weather’s like where you come from, but that wasn’t lightning.”

“I know that.” His voice is clipped. “Azula can do it. I can’t. I’ve never been able to.”

“Okay,” Sokka says. “But you can do lots of things she can’t, right?”

Zuko looks dubious.

“I mean,” Sokka says, “how is she with swords, huh?” He draws his own blade. “I’m not saying you could take me and my space sword, but you’re pretty good.”

Zuko stares at him. “I know what you’re trying to do, Sokka.”

“Oh yeah? And what’s that?”

“You’re trying to goad me into a fight to distract me.”

“Is it working?”

Zuko pulls himself up easily. “If you want to spar, we can spar.”

It’s a fairly even match. Zuko’s great with the flipping about and his pair of swords. Sokka still favours the weight of his own meteor sword and the ringing crash when it hits Zuko’s blades. But they’re good enough to give each other a challenge. Sokka hadn’t realised how much he wanted something to do that wasn’t running over, again and again, lists of plans doomed to failure. He doesn’t need to think about this – he just follows the movement of Zuko’s body, and reacts.

Zuko’s a bender, sure – Sokka has seen him send fire along the edges of his blades – but he’s a warrior without that. He manages his breathing; he pushes his advantage, fierce. Sokka can read the way his muscles move, and leaps forward at the same time.

Their swords get tangled. They’re caught close to each other, neither of them willing to give an inch. Zuko is breathing heavily, hot against Sokka’s face.

“Okay,” Sokka says. “How about we lose the swords?”

“How will that…?”

“Just… put the swords down. And I’ll put mine down and then we can…”

Zuko’s expression is still blank. Sokka leans over the crossed blades, partially thinking ‘please don’t let me lose a toe doing this’ and partially focussed on the sharp startled noise Zuko makes when Sokka kisses him. Hot. Which is a cliché, yes, but Sokka forgives himself for boring use of language. It’s hot.

Zuko takes a step backwards. He slides his swords away from Sokka’s and drops them. There’s a moment where Sokka is still armed and Zuko isn’t. Zuko’s gaze flicks quickly to Sokka, but he doesn't ask, or try to move the two of them so he's not at the disadvantage. He keeps his arms at his side and looks at Sokka. Yeah, they’ve definitely grown.

Zuko does raise an eyebrow – he’s a pretty impatient guy – and Sokka wraps his hands around Zuko’s arms. He drops his own sword and leans in. They’re both oldest sons, but no one else is here right now. There’s no one around to disappoint. And Sokka is tired, and they’re about to run headlong into a war, and Zuko is right here, _wanting_.

It’s easy to rock up against him and run his fingers over Zuko’s hot slick skin. Zuko pushes Sokka’s clothes aside and his hands have calluses from the sword and Sokka will take no comments from the peanut gallery about how quickly the whole thing is over. They’re both young and racing with adrenaline and who cares how long it takes as long as it feels good?

The only peanut gallery is Zuko, of course, who’s lying down with Sokka in the sticky sweaty mess. Zuko glares at him, but there’s no fight in it. Sokka’s feeling somewhat shaky himself. Zuko says, “You’re far sneakier than you look.”

“That’s why _I’m_ team strategist,” Sokka announces smugly. “I have the best plans.”

“Hmm.”

“You feel better now, don’t you?”

Zuko acknowledges this with a nod.

“Anyway," Sokka says. “I’m glad you can’t make lightning.”

“Why would you say that?”

Sokka’s not sure. Azula’s lightning is just freaky to watch, and Zuko’s not… not like that. Not any more, anyway. Azula’s cold, for a fire-bender, and Zuko’s not like that either. Sokka and Zuko aren't friends yet, but they’re sort of getting there. Sokka says, “How much scarier do you want to be?”

“It’s not about- it’s about _power_.”

“See, I don’t think it is. I don’t know what it is about, but I’m pretty sure it’s a good thing you can’t do it.”

Zuko looks dubious but stretches out and lights the campfire with a flick of his hand. He smiles, something which Sokka is just starting to recognise. Zuko says, “I still could have taken you.” That’s clearly a lie, but Sokka lets it go. They can have a rematch later. It’s sleeping time now.


End file.
